Clifford Balch

Clifford Allison Balch (June 23, 1880 – December 14, 1963) was an American architect specializing in movie theater design. Balch designed several theaters in the Southern California across four decades, including the National Register of Historic Places-listed Golden Gate Theater and Pomona Fox Theatre.

Clifford Allison Balch was born on June 23, 1880, in Preston Lake, Minnesota. His father, William C. Balch, was a carpenter and his mother, Anna S. Balch (née Houck) was a homemaker. Clifford was one of seven children born to the couple, three of whom died in infancy. In the early 1890s, the Balch family moved to Pasadena, California, where William found work in the carpentry business. The family lived on Colorado Boulevard and later in a house at 140 Broadway.^[1][2] Clifford served as first lieutenant in the 40th Division of the 160th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army during World War I.^[3][4]

• Golden Gate Theater, East Los Angeles, 1927
• Riverside Fox Theater, Riverside, 1929
• Fox California Theater, Stockton, 1930
• Visalia Fox Theatre, Visalia, 1930
• Pomona Fox Theater, Pomona, 1931
• El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, 1936
• Miramar Theatre, San Clemente, 1938
• Lido Theater, Newport Beach, 1939

Balch married Pearl Payne, with whom he had three children: Margaret, William, and Nina.^[5] He died on December 14, 1963, at the age of 83 in Los Angeles.^[1]